Heather Kuzmich does NOT have Asperger's (misdiangosed)
I see her neck bend over most of the time, unless she is aware of the interview then she sits up right, professionally. Her gait is different. She tries not to interrupt the interviewer but ends up just short of doing it.
It just feels all so familiar when watching her, it feels like I can pick up how she is actually working on trying to appear normal.
Heather was diagnosed at the age of 14, so it is safe to say that she may have had assistance in addressing her ASD issues. Not to mention that some ASD sufferers improve with age and guidance, which may be the case with heather. Anybody who watched the show could tell straight off that heather was a little off in her social interaction, even the girls remarked on how strange she was (cut to the scene of heather crying on the phone to her mother, after she hears the girls talking about her).
How moronic can this doctor be to dismiss heathers diagnosis on edited , rehearsed TV? He has never met Heather or spoken to her personally nor has he tested her himself. Yet because she has managed her condition and has gone on to be successful in her persuits she cannot possibly have aspergers. Even experts like Tony Atwood has said in his book that people with aspergers CAN go on to have relationships, a small set of friends and even get marrie
There are people like Temple Grandin and many on the spectrum who have degrees, doctorates etc, does that mean they have been misdiagnosed?
I am so frustrated that people can make genaralised statements about ASD disorders, based on what they see. He sounds like he needs to better educate himself on ASD, rather then spout assumptions. :
Firstly let me start of by saying as an aspie I am offended by your ridiculous claims. I don't care how delayed nor late my response is either. How dare you assume Heather is too high functioning to have the condition. No two people with Aspergers are alike. You cannot generalize like that and either should a professional psychologist... Heather was 21 years old at the time, she has learned to adapt, to develop coping mechanisms that make her chameleon like. If it's one thing everyone knows about females with the condition - it's that they are always falling under the radar in the diagnosis process because females demonstrate AS differently from males and professionals are usually only trained to pick up the signs of AS in males.
Females are much better at socialization and communication, they are able to blend in and fit in more. You don't know Heather personally you only have seen her function on a television show. Heather learned to blend in and adapt more from observing the other models on ANTM. She was shy, anxious, uncoordinated, monotonous, socially awkward, bad with time management, highly sensitve, trouble handling emotions and anger. She was slow to grasp certain things. She liked to keep to her self alot and found it had to trust the other girls. All these things I have said above are common traits and behaviors of a person suffering with Aspergers.
So think twice before you just assume because no one with Aspergers are alike. I have sisters, I have been to school for 12 years then higher education they have helped teach me certain skills to appear more NT like... I have learned to adapt, blend in, learn certain norms and habbits to appear normal and so has Heather and many others.
ASPartOfMe
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Joined: 25 Aug 2013
Age: 66
Gender: Male
Posts: 34,465
Location: Long Island, New York
Rant:
It is getting like 2014 around here again. Do all these people really think we are all going give up and say oops, you caught me I am just an excuse making person following a fad. Not only that I am such a good faker I fooled a psychologist. I'm sorry I promise to just try harder.
I have no clue if Kuzmuch is an aspie and neither does the psych. The psych has no idea what Kuzmich's childhood was like or what type of effort went into appearing "normal". Oh and the eyeroll thing, one of my bosses used to criticize me for it all the time. And I used some sarcasm in this post. Guess that means I should leave WP because I am not autistic.
_________________
Professionally Identified and joined WP August 26, 2013
DSM 5: Autism Spectrum Disorder, DSM IV: Aspergers Moderate Severity
It is Autism Acceptance Month
“My autism is not a superpower. It also isn’t some kind of god-forsaken, endless fountain of suffering inflicted on my family. It’s just part of who I am as a person”. - Sara Luterman
My son is now 14. His diagnosis has been upgraded from PPD-nos when he was only 20 months old to high functioning autism/Asperger's when he was around 4. Major therapy involved to get him there, ABA, OT, PT, etc. He surprises me every day. Things I never thought he'd be able to do, he CAN do - and I don't think that invalidates a diagnosis he pretty much had his entire life.
Watching reruns of ANTM at the moment and found this thread. I think Heather acts exactly the way I would expect a 21 year old girl with Asperger's would in a modeling competition. I'm not a professional either, just a Mom who has watched my own kid and other kids like him for 14.5 years. This "professional" is off base here. Thank goodness he is not in the majority with his opinion.
I hate that this thread shows up on the first page of Google for Heather. Makes it seem like she was perpetrating a fraud, which is ridiculous.
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